The Line Between Love and Hate
by Eia San
Summary: Isolation can breed a great many dangerous things; Love and Hate was beginning to blur in Inoue Orihime’s eyes. *IchiHimeGrimm* Warning: Rated for Violence and Sexual content
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – The Lonely Prisoner

A slab of light cut through the barred window of Inoue's small room, spilling a path of moonshine across the cold weighted floor of her cell. She watched closely as small particles of dust drifted through the moonlights path to be briefly illuminated by the beam. Within that small ray they danced under the night's heady gaze before drifting back into the darkness to be swallowed up into nothingness. She wouldn't have been able to count the hundreds of passages she had witnessed within the halo of light. But eventually she turned away from the small changeable scene, tired beyond her belief.

When Inoue had first given herself up to the Espada she had imagined it would be the fight of her life. But she had mustered her courage to meet with a life of monotony and in this land of perpetual twilight her days of confinement slipped by without her recognition. She wondered briefly if a clock within her prison cell would bring her relief or madness.

She stretched herself out onto the cold stone floor, her face lying in the direct path of the windows gaze. The moon was only three quarters full but she couldn't recall when she had last seen a full moon. It could have been months, so immune she had become to the passage of time. She felt her will slip away slowly with every hour that she sat in idleness. It was so hard to be strong when one was so bored of life.

_Can Kurosaki see the moon tonight? _ It was treacherous to let Ichigo drift into her thoughts. He was a beacon for her hope but also the paramount of her desires. She longed to hear from him, anyone! To just know where they were and what they were doing. Were they searching for her even now? Were they in danger, were they dead?

She shook her head violently at the thought. No, she would know if they had been…but it was useless to think of that now. She had to trust that they would be all right, just as they must have trusted her to a degree when she had left without seeing anyone or saying goodbye. Well, not completely. She had of course seen Ichigo.

But that was another treacherous thought. She had already re-lived that brief visit over again and again in her mind. Yet no matter how many times she visualised the moment she could not bring her own lips to meet with his, not even in her dreams. What if she never saw him again, would she regret forever that she had never given her first kiss to Kurosaki? But she had to have faith. After all, every obstacle Ichigo had been faced with, every quest he had embarked upon, and every promise he made with himself he fulfilled. He was coming here for Aizen, and for her, and he would not fail while there was still breathe left in his body. But she also feared him finally reaching this place; Aizen was not to be underestimated. There was a power buried within his cool physique that she feared. But more frightening was not knowing what it was he even wanted, there was more to his intentions than what it might seem. To find out what was the only drive to sustain her motivation, for there was little else for her to strive for in this bleak place. But would she have the strength to continue when the time finally came?

Inoue's eyes had begun to droop during her thoughts, but a sound at the door brought them open again. She sat up stiffly as Ulquiorra entered through the main door, his hands buried deep in his Arrancar uniform pockets. "Aizen-sama requires your assistance." So relieved was she to have something to occupy herself with she almost forgot to put her mind on guard to see Aizen, almost.

She rose from the cold floor, her body making quick work to restore the heat that had been sapped down through the cold stone floor. She followed the stiff white back of Ulquiorra diligently as they threaded their steps down identical marble passages. She gave up trying to mentally map out their path by the fifth turn. There was nothing distinct about this place, just cold walls and passages whose sequences were only broken by a door thrown in here or there. Even the lowly subjects they passed were so alike in appearance Inoue had yet to set them apart. Everything in this place was a uniform of homogeneity.

The corridors began to widen until the last one opened out into an open room. Inoue was reminded of a kings court with its towering pillars and eventual rise to a thrown like dais. As always Aizen was seated at the top, chin resting in his hand as he gazed out over his subjects. Even Gin was like a courtly jester grinning by his monarch's side. Inoue thought she liked Gin even less than Aizen. His malicious humour didn't sit well with her.

As she entered into the hall in tow of Ulquiorra it seemed like every eye in the room turned to stare at her. They were wary of her, and some of Aizen's Arrancars down right hated her. She knew this but yet what else could she do but stand and bear their untrusting gazes.

As soon as she was in the center of the room she understood why she had been summoned, after all they only seemed to trust her with one duty. The injured were lined up in two rows, ranging from the less seriously wounded to the worst. And as she approached them to begin her healing, without needing to be told, they all looked at her advancement with contempt. She was only a human after all.

She worked through them in silence; none bothering to thank her for her efforts even when her face was dotted with perspiration and her complexion was pale with the exertion. And she didn't bother to converse either, for this place seemed to swallow up sound in its impenetrable silence. She wondered for a moment if the thick air would just eat away her words before any sound ever left her mouth.

As soon as she had healed them, the Arrancar drifted out of the room. Even Ulquiorra was disinterested in her task as he approached Aizen's side to speak. She was left alone to deal with the last three wounded. The injuries were so bad by this stage that she almost had trouble discerning which end of the bloody mess was their heads. But there was another who lingered near and he watched her with eyes that burned most brightly with unmasked hatred. She tried to ignore Grimmjow as he stared down upon her. She began to immerse herself in her healing technique so strongly she almost yelped with surprise when a voice broke the stifling silence.

"Why do you heal your enemies? Are you a traitor?" His voice was deep and rolled with an almost purr like quality. Inoue might have even enjoyed the sound of that voice had it not been so deeply threaded with scorn. She turned slightly from her crouched position so she could watch the tall man out of the corner of her eye.

He stood tall and erect, his arms crossed on his chest in an almost aggressive manner. She would never forget the first time she had met Grimmjow, that had been the first time she had understood the anger that boiled down within his soul. She had healed him, only to allow him to destroy yet more life. Inoue couldn't understand his destructive nature. He was as foreign to her as the ice caps at the Antarctic would be. He seemed just as cold and formidable as any iceberg too. She knew he felt he owed her something for restoring his arm, yet resented this bond to her whole-heartedly. She wished he didn't feel this obligation for the longer this unspoken contract lay between them the more she felt Grimmjow would resent her. She had not healed him with any intentions of gaining something from him, yet he looked at her as though she might demand something unreasonable at any moment. She looked again into his cold teal gaze and spoke at last. "Do you hate me?"

Grimmjow's eyes widened in surprise but he only paused for a second before he answered. "Yes." Inoue furrowed her brow; she had known what his answer would be so why had she asked it in the first place? "I don't hate anyone," she replied in a soft voice, "I don't think I could ever really _hate_ someone. People make mistakes, or live differently from me. But I don't believe I could ever hate someone for that."

"But these people, they hate you."

She was silent for a moment as she looked down at the body that lay beneath the golden halo of her rejection, pondering her next words as the pieces of this strangers broken body were restored to the battered whole. "I don't think I could watch anyone suffer if I knew I could help them. But I don't think I am a traitor either, for traitors are afraid. If it takes courage to watch someone suffer and die when you have the power to aid them then I would rather be a coward."

"Wake up you fool! The real world doesn't work so neatly into your scheme of good and bad. It's a lot crueller and darker than that. There is no line between the good guys and the bad guys. It just depends on how dirty someone's hands get." Grimmjow's voice was raised in anger but it didn't carry very far, yet the force of his words made her tremble at the rebuke. Inoue knew she shouldn't provoke him, yet her mouth would not let him believe that things were so negatively set. "Perhaps you may believe that, but if I want to change the world for the better than I have to start with myself and what I can do to help, and I intend to use the powers given to me to do what I believe…no what I _know_ is right."

She stared up at Grimmjow fiercely, determined to make him see that her words were honest and all that she believed. She thought for a moment that he might strike out at her, so intensely rigid was his body. But eventually he just made a scoffing noise before turning away from her and disappearing down an anonymous corridor to leave her in the silence once more to contemplate how long she could hold onto the truth of those words.

--

Aizen raised his steel rimmed gaze from the bright beacon of the orange haired princess below him. He swung his gaze lazily to meet with Ulquiorra as his pale subordinate awaited his reply. "What is the next stage of your plans for Inoue Orihime?"

"Isolation." The word hung dangerously in the air as Aizen awaited Ulquiorra's full explanation. "At the moment she is dependent solely upon out interactions for company. I believe we can further gain her loyalty by cutting her connections to the outside off completely. Deprivation of all personal contact will isolate Inoue further until she becomes dependant upon Espada interactions and will begin to meet our appearances and summons with appreciation and enthusiasm. We will turn her contempt into desperation and destroy her will to defy the Espada."

Aizen smiled at Ulquiorra's cool analysis of Inoue's structured mental breakdown. He watched the slight girl as she concentrated so fiercely on her task. He wandered at her tenacity in healing the very soldiers he intended to send out and kill her comrades. He could not decide whether he respected or loathed her philosophies. But either way she was a remarkable human being, and one they had to destroy now before she could become a problem in the future.

"Begin her isolation."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Desired Rage

He hated her. From the moment he had first set his eyes upon her he had known she was different, and dangerous. Grimmjow couldn't even say what it was that he hated most about her, but he thought perhaps her voice was what affected him the most. Las Noches was a soundless void; it was threaded with silent halls and equally silent rooms. But this human, she was a voice disturbing the dangerous silence that had always prevailed in this lifeless place. Her words just struck such a wrong chord within him. He knew she would never understand this world of theirs that had formed in the darkness. Strength and prowess was what was needed to survive here, not pathetic notions of righteousness and pacifism. She was a fool, one who would not last more than two minutes in the reality of violence and death he had strived through and conquered.

As Grimmjow sauntered through the desolate halls he fingered his sword agitatedly and scuffed his feet loudly against the stone. He should have at least been happy that that bastard Ulquiorra wasn't about. The clown face had been sent off under Aizen's quiet word days ago. With Aizen, Gin and Tōsen almost constantly in private consultations with each other and Nnoitra immersed ruthlessly in his patrol, Grimmjow practically had Las Noches to himself.

Yet this feeling of discontent remained, and would remain until he got his chance to have it out with that damned Shinigami again. But he couldn't, not today. He wasn't to go anywhere near any of the intruders unless under Aizen's direct command. Well at least, that was what Aizen had told him. But Grimmjow had other plans for Kurosaki; he just had to wait for the right time to strike.

Kurosaki was so close to him and yet unreachable, as this thought settled into his mind an exhilarative fury shook through Grimmjow's bones, he swung out his left hand and slammed his tightly closed fist into the wall. A deeply sunken indenture was levelled into the stone and he had to take a moment to rail in his frustrations as the rock beneath his fist began to fissure and crack. He had never been a very patient man.

"Had a stressful day my precious?" Grimmjow wiped the dust sedimentation from his hand across the back of his leg, seeming unperturbed by having Szayel witness his temporary lack of control. The eighth Espada was leaning against the opposite wall in a languid like casualness, thin arms crossed on his chest as he watched beneath glaring eyeglasses. The man was all limbs, his lithe body stretched out like an elegant marionette.

Grimmjow just smirked back; he wasn't fooled by Szayel's fragile appearance. "Surprised to see the mad scientist coming out of his lab, run out of experiments or something Szayel?" Grimmjow rolled his shoulder pretentiously, not bothering to meet his fellow Espada's steady gaze.

"Perhaps," he purred, "though even a 'mad' genius such as myself needs to have a break for some fresh air sometime." Grimmjow read the mockery in his statement, there was nothing 'fresh' about the air in Hueco Mundo.

"But there is not really much to divert one's attention to as of late, what with everyone off being _busy_ and such." Grimmjow wanted to walk away from Szayel, he knew the scientist was just teasing him but where else had he to go? This had been the most interesting incident to have happened to him today, frustrating as that was. So he stayed quiet and let Szayel just talk on.

"I guess everyone is feeling the reserved mood." He commented lightly, eyeing the decorative hole Grimmjow had left in the wall. His ginger eyes slid back mockingly to watch Grimmjow under that ghastly scrutiny. "Even our new princess seems to be affected by it."

Grimmjow tried to keep any kind of reaction from his face. It was an unnerving coincidence that Szayel decided to mention the woman just after his tedious thoughts had dragged him there. Something of his discontent must have shown though for the sleek Espada went on. "I heard through the sour grape vine that Ulquiorra has put her through another initiation trial. Poor thing has been locked up in her cell for _days_ with virtually no outside contact whatsoever. She must be teaming with frustration. I wonder what it is Ulquiorra is planning with this stunt."

Grimmjow didn't bother with Szayel's last comment; they both knew exactly what it was Ulquiorra was trying to do. "Personally I don't care for the subversive torture. I doubt her loyalty to that Shinigami can be broken…what was his name again?" Szayel tapped his chin, pretending to rack his brain for the answer he already knew as he watched Grimmjow with a delighted glint in his eye. "Ah yes! That was it, Kurosaki Ichigo! You have fought him before haven't you Grimmjow? That nasty battle where you lost your arm wasn't it? Lucky Aizen's princess was there to fix it. But I don't think she will last here much longer, she is just too adverse to the environment here. And now with this new isolation method preventing anyone from seeing her I wouldn't be surprised if something doesn't happen to her soon. Apparently some of Aizen's admirers have been taking it upon themselves to visit her secretly. But still, perhaps she might not have the endurance to wait for her precious Shinigami hmm? Perhaps she might even go so far as to devise her own end."

He had had enough. Grimmjow clicked his tongue in disgust before he turned and walked away from Szayel who was still grinning manically from his place against the wall. Even after Grimmjow had managed to leave Szayel far behind in the twisting, pale halls the hint of the eighth Espada's presence left an unpleasant taste in his mouth, as if he had eaten something rotten. The last words he had spoken were engraved in his mind as his treacherous feet took him towards the cell in the farthest tower to the north.

What had he become to allow such an insignificant being to trouble his thoughts so? He hated her yes but wasn't this constant mulling over his hate for her becoming obsessive? His morbid fixation on her was almost as bad as it was with Kurosaki. But this woman was weak, she couldn't fight him. He understood his fixation on Ichigo because he had always had the desire to conquer and destroy those that were strong. Wasn't that the unspoken rule of Hueco Mundo? The most powerful has the glory. That was why he had such distaste for Szayel; the Espada's strength was in his wit and trickery. He had no respect for that kind of strength, and this woman was the same. She had no physical brawn and she wasn't even as slyly intelligent as Szayel, in fact she was ignorant and overly trusting. She didn't bother to analyse situations but instead just followed her instinct. She was weak and stupid and he hated her, but why was she so imminent in his thoughts?

Grimmjow went more slowly as the muffled sounds of a subdued fight reached his ears. The architecture of Las Noches was chaotic; there was no readable form just a random assortment of corridors and chamfered roofing. But the design suited Grimmjow for it allowed him to find niche's amongst the structures, places he could observe. He wasn't a fool; he had explored this place to the nth degree and new its layout intimately. He would never be trapped or lost in this horrid place. So he knew about the awkward section of roofing above Inoue's cell where the ceiling didn't quit meet the height of the opposite wall. A small little structural incorrectness which might allow a man to observe from an altitude, hidden in the gloom of the looming ceiling from the occupants below.

It was there that Grimmjow perched and watched the scene that had been unfolding below. He recognised the main perpetrator, a lowly arrancar follower of Aizen. Melony might be her name, he hadn't bothered to really notice her. He knew instantly the reasoning behind her attack on the human, jealousy. He scoffed, "Such ridiculous beings. Driven by their devotion to another. It makes me sick."

Grimmjow watched with a small satisfaction as Melony dragged Inoue to her feet by the hair. The arrancar had been careful not to harm Inoue's face too much as she shook the slight girl by the grip she had on her silken, orange tresses. "You're so disgusting! How dare you suck up to Aizen you worthless worm!" Melony threw Inoue down in disgust before she began her assault again. Grimmjow felt pleasure at the scene flush a heat through his body as he watched closely as Inoue was beaten. He couldn't understand the exhilaration he was feeling as he watched the slight human girl stand against the physical assault with that stern unmovable expression on her face.

She took it, she took it all! Every hit that was landed she didn't flinch away from but stood erect to receive it. Even when Melony slapped her viciously across the cheek and her eyes smarted with tears Inoue's gaze was still resolute and assured. As he watched from above his limbs tingled with excitement and a hot pulse shot through his groin.

He watched in the darkness, perched above them all. Even after Melony had lost heart in her one sided fight and stormed from the cell with a shriek of disgust he sat perfectly still in his strange emancipated ecstasy. Until after a small silence he saw her fall. Inoue's slight body crumpled to the ground and she curled up like a small caterpillar against an assault. But the battle was over; she had won out in the end with her stubbornness. Yet here she lay in a defeated slump as her shoulders shook with her sobbing.

All the desire and pleasure Grimmjow had felt drained away in an instant as one of her feeble cries reached his ears. She _had_ been defeated, long before Melony had struck out at her. Her stubborn show had been a hollow façade, she was empty inside. Szayel had been right, she hadn't had the endurance. Ulquiorra's twisted plan had worked, her spirit had been broken.

The hate that had been brewing within him suddenly intensified until Grimmjow's hands shook with fury. What a worthless disgusting creature, he had been right to believe that. Without even pausing to think he leapt down from his watch into the empty space of her bare cell. She sat up in surprise at his intrusion, her tear stained face going pale as she finally recognise him through the gloom.

Grimmjow's lip curled in a snarl of disgust as she cowered on the floor below him in fright. He saw the fearful realisation dawn in her glassy hollow gaze, yes that was it. He had come to kill her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A quick warning that this next chapter includes a sex scene, so any body that may be offended by such a thing probably shouldn't bother going on because this wont be the last one I believe. Thanks everyone for reading thus far, hope you are enjoying this Fic. Regards, Eia**

**Chapter 3**

So this was what her life had become; empty days followed by even emptier nights. She dreamed of course, of being rescued by Kurosaki who would ride up to her tower on a stallion so white it hurt her eyes to look at directly, and he would throw down the evil Aizen with a slash of his shining blade. He would mount the stairs in his princely armour that glistened with righteousness and purity and he would carry her away from this nightmare to live happily ever after. But Kurosaki's rescue, it was just a dream, a dream within a dream. This was no fairy tale story in which she could hold out for the happy ending. She had learned that things were not always that easy, good and evil didn't come in black and white. She couldn't even rescue her sanity from this stupor, what hope did she have that Kurosaki could do any better?

Her feelings they were one sided, her love was unrequited. Perhaps that was the thought that tormented her the most in the silent hell of her captivity. It wasn't thoughts of the impending war, nor the people who might be worried about her back home. Her heart cried out at night for the knowledge that her cherished Kurosaki did not love her as she loved him. She was not as pure, nor as noble as she made out to be of course, she was shallow and selfish. Instead of working on plans of escape or ways to aid the others coming to rescue her Inoue dwelled on the heart wrenching knowledge that her love was unrequited.

In the dark hours of the night she stayed up, forfeiting sleep as she thought back and remembered a time when she had once gathered her courage and tried to tell Kurosaki. It was only a few months ago but it now felt like another lifetime, a memory from years past. She had approached him after school, her hands twisted in her school jumper to keep from shaking in fear. But she had been resolute, she would do it. She would say the words her heart had ached to let free.

"_I…I_ like_ you Kuroskai kun!" __He pauses, his back going stiff at her loud decree. This is it! He turns towards her, a smile so warm it makes her cheeks hot but his words freeze her heart. "You're a good friend too Inoue."_

The true reason she had been unable to kiss him that night before she left was because in her heart, Inoue knew he didn't feel the same. "If he had he would have understood." She whispered. Everything was changing; she couldn't be so carefree anymore. The discoveries she had made here had changed her and she didn't have the heart to lie to herself anymore. Life was not what she had thought it would be, there was no underlying justice to the world. Life could be cruel and dark, even those who lived honestly were not free from the darkness. She had always lived well, treated others as she had wished to be treated. Had tried hard and given it her all, she didn't lie or steal or hurt others intentionally. But where had she been left after all of that?

As terrible a thought as it was, it was because of her selflessness that she had come to this place. If she had been selfish she might have been spared this horrible lonely infliction and her heart would not have been tainted and turned by the darkness. She might have lived on happily. But not anymore, there was nothing left for her to hold onto. Yet she was still lonely, she was only human after all. She just needed something, some_one_ solid that she could hold onto, to anchor her to this wasting life.

She lay in the darkness curled in upon herself when _she_ returned. Melony had been here before to taunt her but this time it was different. She didn't just throw her nasty words at Inoue but instead had come to physically let loose her hate. And for some reason Inoue had pretended that it didn't affect her. She had stood up as the arrancar had entered, had worn a face of determination as if her thoughts had never slipped into the dark and drowned her there. She had taken every hit and every insult and stood stubborn. She didn't cry or beg, she pretended to be strong and sure.

But it was a lie, as soon as her cell door had slammed shut after the assualt and the lonely silence had surrounded her again she had let it go. The mask fell away and she sobbed for the terrible truths that were suffocating her. But then, he had come. From the darkness he had emerged and as Inoue looked into his hate filled eyes she recognised her fate.

--

He loomed over her, taller than any tower in Hueco Mundo. Inoue was just an insect under the might of his gaze and as he approached her she cowered back from him in fear. It was in that final show of weakness from her that he had lost it. Grimmjow reached down and grabbed her by the collar of her uniform and slammed her up against the nearest wall. She winced at the impact and her eyes began to fill with tears. He looked at her slack lifeless face and wanted to pound it into the wall. "Pathetic" She looked down at him as the venomous word left his lips. "What's the matter princess is your perfect little world falling down?" He mocked. Something unrecognisable flashed in her eyes then, it was too swift for Grimmjow to pick up. Had it been fear? The frustration he felt barely kept him in check from tearing her apart as his fist tightened on her collar, but she didn't flinch. "What's the matter Orihime, afraid to die?"

It was there again, that spark came into her doey steel eyes but it wasn't fear at all. "I am not afraid to die." Her voice didn't waiver as she spoke down at him and her mouth became a hard line of determination, she looked nothing like the Orihime of a few moments ago. He could almost see the inner workings of her mind turning through her eyes. The despair was draining from her features as the cogs of her belief began to circulate once more. "I did what was right Grimmjow, everything I tried to accomplish and set my mind to I felt was what I had to do. Healing your arm and aiding the other arrancars was not a mistake, and if you kill me for that it only proves the light of goodness penetrated your heart of darkness. I can see the fear in _your_ eyes at the difference I made, but _I _am not afraid anymore. It cannot all be for nothing; I believe that my life, however weak you may think it is, has and can make a difference and you and Aizen and this place will never _ever_ convince me otherwise!"

Grimmjow looked up at her incredulously, she had come back. The fire that had lit her eyes with determination when she had healed her enemies and defended herself was back. She hadn't been defeated yet despite all of Ulquiorra's subversive tactics. She still had the will defy him.

Grimmjow's hand reached forward to grasp her thin neck in his hands, he was going to squeeze the breath right out of her lungs but she didn't even bat an eyelash as his fingers closed in on her flesh. Then something happened. Instead of squeezing he was pulling, pulling her in close to his face until he brought her stubborn lips down upon his own. She squealed in shock as his mouth devoured hers, his lips raking against her hungrily tasting her sweetness as if he were starving. Her small fists pounded against his chest and her legs kicked out frantically but he could not be stopped. His hands held her face to his as he kissed her viciously in excitement.

Then suddenly, the hands that pushed against his chest in defiance began to slacken until instead they were grabbing at him, clutching at his jacket desperately and pulling him closer. Her mouth opened wide to accept him and she kissed him back with a fervour that matched his own. As their kiss deepened Grimmjow tasted the familiar metallic tang of blood. He relished the thought of having kissed her lips so hard they bled, and as the blood mingled in their joined mouths a frenzy seemed to over come him.

He shifted his hold on her, moving his right hand round to the small of her back as his left hand guided her legs to wrap around his waist. Inoue broke the kiss with a gasp as the groove of their pelvises slid together. He frantically reached between her warmth with anticipation and guided himself inside her. She cried out in shock but he was too far gone. Inoue clutched at his shoulders and gripped his hair as she pressed her cheek against his. Her groans of pain eventually subsided and soon she was panting with enthusiasm in his ear. He thrust himself within her again and again, taking her right there against the cold stone wall where he had previously planned to smash her head in.

Grimmjow's body was on fire as he buried his face in her neck which was so soft and undulating beneath him. He plunged within her one final time before he groaned with pleasure into her shoulder. As he held her against the wall, their bodies drenched with sweat and their chests heaving with the exertion the mad rush began to subside and he pulled away in shock. Inoue stood on shaky legs as he stepped back to look into her flushed face. Her eyes went wide with the realisation of what she had just done and the blush of pleasure which had infused her cheeks drained away. She stumbled towards the couch and collapsed onto its soft folds, never taking her eyes off of Grimmjow.

He could only imagine what confusion his own face held. He had come here with the intent to kill Inoue yet instead he had fucked her. What had that been? That unquestionable urge that had overtaken him, had that been because of her? He blinked in the silence that hung between them before he could not bare the intensity of her staring eyes any longer. He made a noncommittal grunt, seeming to be unperturbed by his own rash actions, before he strode out of the room without looking back. He didn't need to glimpse Inoue to know her eyes followed him all the way out the door for he could see her horror stricken face in his minds eye.

Outside the cell Grimmjow stopped for a moment to straighten his clothes and wipe the sweat from his face. As his hand ran over his chin to wipe away the blood and saliva he paused, tentative fingers running across his lower lip in surprise. He let out a mirthless laugh before he moved on again, running his tongue over the wound on his bottom lip where Inoue had kissed _him_ so hard that it bled.

--


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Amber no more

What had she done? How could she have made such a mess of things? She almost craved her life of a week ago when it was so bland and simple that it had almost driven her mad. Now she was plagued by the complications that assailed her, well really one complication. Grimmjow.

She breathed out contemptuously as she turned the bronze faucet violently. She sat on the rim of the marble basin and watched the hot bath water gush out of the tap. The room began to fill with steam and the odour of asphalt that came from the piping that lead from the under ground. Inoue wrinkled her nose at the smell as she began to disrobe, stripping away her uniform in an embarrassed manner. What was she ashamed of; there was no one here to see her? Yet she clutched at her naked frame like a criminal and scrambled deftly into the tub, yelping as the hot water scalded her skin. But it felt good; she endured the burning sensation on her skin as if it were purifying her retched body. She reached for the soap and began to scrub at her skin viciously, swearing that she could still feel _his_ sweat slathering her skin.

But that had been almost a week ago, and she had bathed everyday in this manner as if it had only just occurred. What was she going to do? What would Kurosaki think of what she had done? Maybe she could just tell him that Grimmjow had forced her...no, she couldn't lie, not even about this. Though Grimmjow had initially forced himself upon her she had reached for him just as fervently and even kissed him back. She had stopped resisting him after the first few minutes and it wasn't in her to lie about such a dreadful thing as rape.

Inoue lifted her wetted fingers to run over the contours of her lips. She could almost taste the sharp flavour of Grimmjow's blood in her mouth. It had gotten everywhere, smeared across her chin and cheeks and even dripped down to stain the front of her uniform so that now there was that small splash of daring red across her bosom to remind her always of the immodest thing she had done.

"But it couldn't have been entirely unpleasant." Inoue bit her lip as the words unconsciousnessly left her mouth. Where had that thought come from? She frowned as her own words fell away into silence. She had only thought about her act in concerns to how others would interpret it, mainly Ichigo. She had looked upon what had happened between her and Grimmjow with dread because always she had thought _what will Kurosaki think_…but what did she think?

Inoue closed her eyes and slipped back to that moment when her body had defied her and reached out for Grimmjow. His kiss had not been entirely unpleasant, it was certainly forceful but she had liked the desperation of his lips as they devoured hers. It seemed to echo the uncertainty she had been feeling for so long. And as for the other thing…Inoue blushed as she remembered the feeling of Grimmjow inside of her. It had hurt at first, but she had been told to expect that. But it hadn't been as painful as she had imagined it would be, in fact, the way he had held her had made it feel quite pleasurable. How could something that felt so good be really that wrong?

Inoue groaned before she plunged her heated head under the water. She held onto the sides of the tub as she lay suspended in the under the surface, her bright hair fanning out about her like spilled ink. The weightlessness felt good and the warmth of the bath water was like a masseuse working on her skin. She resurfaced when her breath ran short, pushing her wet hair back from her eyes. She climbed out of the tub with a resolution in mind, she would not think about this matter anymore. She shouldn't regret the things she had done, after all she was a woman and men and women…well…they did those kinds of things! It wasn't anything to be ashamed of. And she only needed to think about it if Grimmjow came back.

Inoue paused in her struggle to pull the uniform over her head at that thought. _If _Grimmjow comes back…did she want him to come back? She honestly didn't know. She didn't hate the man, she didn't hate anyone. But did she like him? His personality was so different from hers, almost polar opposites yet…there was something appealing about that. She felt fired up whenever he was near her, like all her energy was bundling together in his presence and she just had to do something. Yell at him, argue, jump around, laugh….or even make love to him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound outside her bathroom door. Inoue's eyes went wide at the realisation that it might Grimmjow and she hesitated at the doors entrance. If it was him, it wasn't like she could hide out in the bathroom forever. She was a prisoner in this cell; she didn't have the liberty to pretend she had just popped out for a bit when 'guests' had come calling. Inoue reluctantly pushed open the door and entered into her cell. As her eyes fell on her guest, she almost wished she had hidden in the bathroom after all.

Inoue's food tray sat in the centre of the room and beside it stood a familiar face. "Your food is ready, your highness." Inoue's skin crawled at the sound of Melony's voice. This was becoming ridiculous; Melony had never bothered her this much before. The arrancar had given her plenty of stares and even a snide word here and there, but she had never confronted her in her cell like this so frequently. It had only been a week, what could she possibly want, to fight again?

Inoue waited silently where she was, looking only at the steel cart that held her dinner. "What's the matter princess, not hungry? But I brought it all the way up here! You should be grateful."

Still Inoue was silent, her fists clenching into little tight balls. _Please go away!_ Melony's hand reached out to grab at her jaw and force Inoue's face up to meet hers. "Look at your superiors when they talk to you! Aren't you grateful that I brought you your _food?_ You should be bowing down in appreciation."

Inoue pulled back from the grip on her chin and spoke with her voice as flat as she could make it. "Please leave." She didn't want to fight, but Inoue could feel a cold rage building up inside her. It wasn't in her to hate, but she felt that she very much disliked the way Melony acted. A hand snaked out to back hand her across the cheek and Inoue felt her lips and nose grow hot with the contact. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring the awkward sensation of blood trickling from her nose. She opened her eyes when she had control of herself again and turned to face Melony with a frown. "Please leave."

Inoue sucked in a breath as Melony raised her hand to strike again, but the blow never fell. Instead a deep steady voice boomed out to fill the room. "What do you think your doing?" Both girls' eyes went wide in fear, but Melony was the only one to move. She turned around as Grimmjow strode into the room, walking right up to her. "Grimmjow, this has nothing to-"

Melony never got to finish her sentence as Grimmjow's much larger hand flew out to grip the small girl but the neck. "Your duty is finished arrancar, desist." Inoue wanted Grimmjow to put her down but she couldn't bring herself to move. She watched as if behind a screen as Grimmjow threw the seething arrancar to the floor and kicked out at her until she scrambled from the room, the cell door slamming shut in her humiliated wake.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, Inoue barely daring to breath. Grimmjow's back stood tall and erect before her, and she didn't even know _how_ to approach such an ominous a figure, even if she had wanted to. The assuredness she had felt about their situation in the bath ran dry under his presence. She was ashamed to admit she was afraid.

"Why don't you fight back?" She was so shocked to hear him speak that at first she did not answer him, until he spoke again in a more irritated voice. "I asked you a question, why didn't you fight back?"

"Because you can't solve anything with violence, its wrong."

"Does that mean your precious Ichigo is wrong too?" She couldn't tell which had jolted her more; the question or the sound of Kurosaki's names coming from those lips. "…no…I-"

"But he fights, quite violently too."

"That's different!"

"Why? Because you're in love with him?" Inoue's breathe caught in her throat; she was ashamed of the next words that spilled from her mouth reflexively. "I am not."

"Bullshit! He loves fighting, and you know he does, your perfect little world is flawed." Inoue watched as Grimmjow's fist clenched into a fist. She wasn't afraid that he would hit her anymore; in fact she almost wished he would at this moment, as disgusting a thought as it was. She couldn't understand why his words were deflating her so much. "He…he fights to protect the people he loves. That is noble."

"He is still a killer, and you are a fool."

"Perhaps I am!" Inoue was shocked to find she had tears starting in her eyes, but she blinked them back determinedly. "Perhaps I am a little fool that you despise but I can't deny what I believe in my heart! If I let that go and lie to myself then I am nothing, _nothing!" _As a dazed silence fell over them Inoue thought about what she had just said. She wondered about the response, she hadn't yelled like that because Grimmjow had called Ichigo a killer…she had gotten riled up over him calling her a fool. Where was her heart taking her? She had just said she didn't want to lie to herself anymore, yet she kept trying to cover up what she and Grimmjow had done with Ichigo's imagined reproach. It had been an act that was between the Espada and herself, why was she bringing _him_ into it? What was she afraid of?

"Do you hate me?" Grimmjow's voice was deceptively flat; he might have been asking her the time with such a tone. She paused before answering. "I believe I do." There was uncertainty wavering in her voice, Inoue honestly did not know what it was she felt about him. He obviously despised her and yet…

Grimmjow squared his shoulders defiantly, stepping forward to leave the cell and his words behind. But before his foot had even fallen to the ground Inoue's voice rang out again. "Wait."

A pregnant silence filled the gap left after her word as Grimmjow turned back towards her with a weighted tardiness. She met his eyes unabashedly even as they began to glass over uncertainly, yet he could still read the determination in their depths. His gaze slid down to the blood that had cried down onto her mouth. He lifted his hand to rub at the crimson flow, smearing it across her parted lips. Her warm breath hushed out to caress his hand and in that moment he lost himself again, leaning down impatiently to taste her bloody mouth. She didn't try to resist him, even when he was pushing her back down onto the soft folds of her sleeping couch all she Inoue could do was reach up to entangle her trembling fingers in the mess of his hair.

--

Inoue propped herself up on her elbow, sleep was beyond her despite the weariness of her body. She pulled the sheet up to cover herself modestly as she stared down at the slumbering Espada by her side. She wanted to trace the line of his eyebrow and the strong set of his lips but she dared not wake him, he looked so serene when he slept.

Inoue shifted to lie down again, resting her head on her outstretched arm. She realised suddenly that she had never seen a sleeping arrancar, she hadn't even been sure they did sleep. Grimmjow's still face was centimetres away from hers, as was the rest of his naked body. Inoue followed the contours of their limbs, hidden beneath the folds of the bleached sheets. She could still make out the mountains and crevices of their separate physiques. Their bodies curve together but didn't touch, yet there was something innately intimate about the space left between them.

There love making had been different this time, his movements were violent but he never hurt her. He restrained himself that small degree to be sure Inoue didn't feel pained, yet there was something releasing about the rough way they had come together and hungered after each other like a pair of starved wolves.

It was certainly very different to how she had imagined her first times would be. Of course she had fantasised that it would be with Kurosaki, he would have been very gentle and whispered quietly to her. Yet despite her envisioning the love making process to have been more subdued, she knew in her heart it wouldn't have felt right had Grimmjow acted the same. Yet it was no less in her mind, she was not disappointed. His tenacity gave her fire and she felt strong and assured afterwards and…what was that other feeling, the warm swirl that filled her belly and made her feel heady? She didn't quite know, but as her eyes drifted close and she finally fell into a captive sleep her imaginings were no longer filled with amber eyes. Instead a pair of teal irises gazed down at her from the darkness of her dreams.

--

**Thanks everyone for the support, the last chapter got some encouraging reviews! You are all probably wondering why this is labeled an IchiGrimmHime fic, considering thus far there has been no sign of our dear Shinigami. But of course, love is never perfect and complications are bound to arise soon!**

**Regards, Eia**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Secondary Kiss

The days had not been so boring in Hueco Mondo as of late. Grimmjow still had next to nothing to do by way of duties around Las Noches, and Aizen still forbade him to intercept the intruders, though they drew closer by the day to the bleak domain. But his thoughts and his visits to a certain princess's cell had kept him more than occupied. No, the days had not been boring at all.

He still had not completely faced what he had done yet, Grimmjow refused to admit to himself that his actions had been a slip of control. He danced around the issue by justifying his conduct as another kind of dominance play. He had simply conquered yet another adversary that had imposed themselves upon his path, it was just that he had gone about 'conquering' Orihime in an unconventional manner. And what was more, he had struck a blow back at that fucking shinigami; in retribution for Ichigo taking his arm, Grimmjow had 'taken' his beloved princess. It was justifiable if he looked upon it at that angle.

But Grimmjow was not entirely the self deluded type, he knew that if that had been all there was to it, a strategical strike against his enemies, he would have ceased to return to that cell. Yet night after night he slunk there like some sordid criminal, sneaking through the halls in the darkness to seek his physical release. They barely even spoke during his visits, he had never asked for her permission to return and she had never told him not to come. And they didn't speak during the sex either, sometimes they would even close their eyes and he would pretend that he didn't notice that their foreheads bent at times to meet and press together. And afterwards he did not rush from her room as he had the first time. They didn't say anything for the time directly after, and they wouldn't look each other in the eye as they both lay down onto the soft couch, and they most certainly didn't reach out for each other. But instead they curled their bodies to fit within the definitions of each other's contours; he would lay upon his arm as it stretched above her head and curled around until his fingers were just brushing against the silken strands of her hair, and she would bow her head forward so that her forehead rested just before the curve of his clavicle, her legs would bend to fit up in the angle of his abdomen and they would lay like that with eyes closed and breaths heavy pretending that they did not notice the warmth of each others skin. Grimmjow knew that if his actions truly meant nothing to him then he wouldn't let her see him sleep, for when else was a man at his most vulnerable if not when he escaped to his dreams?

But he rarely dreamed. It was not warrior-like to be so fanciful, but since he had begun to sleep beside Inoue he had begun to dream more frequently. Even after he had fallen into sleep his mind still sort the comforts hidden in reality, he dreamed of feather-light touches, warm bodies and the feeling of soft tresses drawing through his fingers. He dreamed and was at rest, he did not feel trepidation or fear when he slept there. He didn't have to sleep with one eye open.

But he was anxious enough during the waking hours when he prowled irately around Las Noches. His hate for Ichigo seemed to have intensified and the urge to meet with the shinigami in battle was driving him mad. He had managed to divert such thoughts away when he had retreated to Inoue's cell, but they had begun to invade his mind even within that refuge. A final confrontation would end it, his honour would be satisfied after he spilled Ichigo's blood with the edge of his blade, and he would make sure that Inoue witnessed it. For if she watched him kill the pillar of her hope at last, then it would end it all. He would break her for the final time.

--

Inoue's mind couldn't quite grasp what it was that was going on as she was literally dragged away from Las Noches and her prison cell. She tried to work the situation through in her mind, but her attention was constantly snagged on the elation she felt at being outside of her room. She couldn't decide if it had been weeks, months or years since she had last been able to look upon a setting that was not the sterile and painstakingly familiar scene of those confining four walls. Even if the land around her was still barren in nature it was something different, she was outside again.

But her thoughts were reigned in as Grimmjow's severe grip on her wrist tightened. She stumbled in the wake of his much longer stride and yelped as pain throbbed in her abused hand. "W-where are we going Grimmjow?" Inoue noted the arrancar's shoulders as they stiffened in frustration. But his death like grip on her hand did ease, if only the smallest amount.

"Don't talk, just concentrate on keeping up." Inoue tried not to frown at his rebuke as she forced her smaller legs to match Grimmjow's hurried stride. When he had come to her cell earlier that evening she had known by the look on his face that this was not to be the usual visit. He hadn't said a thing to her, just captured her wrists and begun to drag her stubbornly through the labyrinthine corridors. She hadn't bothered to tell him that she could probably keep up a little better if he had let go of her arm, but something about the iron clad grip he maintained told her that he wasn't going to let her go, even if she asked him nicely.

But what were they doing out here anyway? Grimmjow was such an enigma to her that Inoue sometimes felt smothered in his complexities. His manner was rough but his touch was moderated, his words were abusive but his gaze was amorous. From one moment to the next she could neither tell if he loved her or hated her, and that made facing her emotions all the more difficult. She knew she could never say 'I love you' to Grimmjow, and she wondered lamentably if she could ever give herself whole heartedly to a man if she could not even utter those three simple words to him.

She questioned if she were not simply deceiving herself about this whole situation, her heart had turned so rapidly since she had been here what was to say that her feelings were not being driven by the extremity of her situation? She had heard the term before, Stockholm syndrome wasn't it? Was she simply feeling a kind of twisted loyalty to Grimmjow because he was one of her captors? Would things be able to change back to the way they were if Ichigo and the others did finally rescue her and take her from this place? But Grimmjow's desire to fight Ichigo was so strong; she doubted it would ever be over until they met again. Was that the grim path they were headed for even now?

Inoue's footsteps faltered at the thought and she stumbled to her knees. She heard Grimmjow click his tongue against the roof of his mouth in annoyance before he bent down and lifted her bodily up into his hold. Inoue felt embarrassed at the way he held her under his right arm as if she were a sack of potatoes, but he didn't seem to take notice of her discomfort as he bounded forward at a pace that was three times the speed she had kept him back to.

Inoue's eyes began to water as the wind rushed into them, until she had to simply close her eyes to stop them from tearing up. She relented into Grimmjow's hold and merely turned her head into his chest for shelter. His bare skin against her cheek didn't emanate the same warmth as when they had lain together, in fact his body right now felt cold when pressed up against hers.

She was so absorbed in her observation about his temperature that Inoue didn't even notice that Grimmjow had stopped until his grip tightened momentarily and then released her to fall unceremoniously to the ground. Inoue rubbed her bruised knees as she raised her head to rebuke Grimmjow's harsh treatment when the clash of orange and red caught her eye. The blood froze in Inoue's body at the sight before her, and she began to unconsciously move forwards, crawling on hands and knees towards the body that lay in the dirt a few feet away as her mouth went dry on her forgotten words. Disbelief warred with the reality she perceieved before her, this couldn't be him, this whole scene before her had the taint of a nightmare. But the dull throb in her hands and the pain in her bruised legs only testified to this very real scene.

He looked terrible, his face and arms were mottled with angry red abrasions and a menacing body of blood was pooled about his still, pale frame. If not for the tell tale rise and fall of his shuddering chest, Inoue might have thought that her beloved Ichigo were dead. When she reached his side, a trembling hand extended out to hover above his bloody lips. Gathered tears spilled down her cheeks as his feeble breath shuddered out to caress her fingers. He was alive; Ichigo was alive and right before her very eyes. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth in relief as her other descended to rest, still trembling, against his lips. She held that position for a minute or so, her hands extended to their two mouths as if in an informal kiss that journeyed from one arm through to the other, and when Ichigo's eyes staggered open from her touch she pulled her hand back from his mouth and pressed the fingers firmly to her lips, tasting in that moment the vivacity of his wavering life force.

"Inoue?" His voice cracked with the effort it took to speak, but just that small utterance was enough to send a heart wrenching sob bucking through Inoue's chest. "Yes I am here Kurosaki-kun! Don't try to speak just yet, save your strength." Ichigo's eyes softened and a smile broke across his battered lips. The fondness and trust that she read in his amber gaze broke her and Inoue's head bowed forward until her brow rested lightly against his chest. Her tears flowed freely out in relief to dampen his uniform as a warm hand lifted up to pat her head gently. Ichigo's voice was soft but sturdy as he spoke to her worried tears. "It's going to be alright Inoue."

In that moment, Inoue had never desired anything more than to believe with all her heart that those soft words would be true.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Torn

Pain assaulted his senses, everything hurt. He wanted to recede back into the darkness where it was cool and the physical corruption of his body floated away from his awareness, he wanted to sleep. It would just be so easy to rest now, all he had to do was let go and all that pain would just disappear as if it had never even been. But a voice was sounding near him, urgent and painstakingly familiar.

_Go away; can't you see I want to sleep now?_ He tried to shift away from them but the voices were still there, sounding and merging in a space just above him. He was torn between the want to just be released and the need to follow that voice. Then there was touch.

It was soft and warm, pressing against his assaulted skin. The contact was drawing him back into conscious awareness but he did not greet reality kindly. As he let go of that eternal sleep the full force of his injuries came back to him. God it hurt. His skin was stretched painfully across aching bones and torn muscles. He didn't dare move, lying perfectly still was painful enough. But he mustered the strength to pull the lids of his eyes open; he had to know who had pulled him back from that deadened peace.

He had never realised how heavy the blinking of an eye could be, it felt like he was awakening for the first time and the light that greeted Ichigo made him want to abandon the effort and shut them tight again.

But the world reeled only for a moment before his eyes began to focus on the face hovering just above his. And God had it been worth the effort! Orihime was a sight for sore eyes.

Ichigo breathed out a long sigh as the pain dimmed to a background nuisance. She was safe and beside him, that was all that mattered. He would live, he was sure of it now. "Yes I am here Kurosaki-kun! Don't try to speak just yet, save your strength."

Had he even said anything yet? He couldn't remember. He just smiled up at Inoue's concerned face and was happy to be silent if it reassured her.

The slight girl he had sought after for so long bent her head and wept upon his chest, but Ichigo was not fazed. Inoue's heart was always so full that her emotions leaked out all the time. That was why she could laughed so spontaneously, and why she could cry with such relief.

Though his arm was set on fire with pain as he lifted it from the ground, Ichigo reached across to stroke the feather soft tresses that spilled across his chest. A familiar scent arose from his ministrations, one that was wholly Inoue, and he breathed it in readily. He had missed that comforting smell so much.

He spoke softly to reassure her, "It's going to be alright Inoue." And in that moment Ichigo believed with all his heart that those words were going to be true.

--

Her heart was literally being torn in two pieces. That was not to say that Inoue's chest had been rent open and two hands were reaching in to pull it apart, at least not in the physical sense. But as she knelt before the man she had unrequitedly loved for so long and began to heal him, she felt the eyes of the man she had corporally loved bore through her flesh and into her soul and she was torn by her feelings of loyalty to both.

She knew what would happen once she had finished healing Ichigo, they all knew. But Grimmjow had demanded she heal him, and Kurosaki had asked her to and between them both she could deny them nothing. She was helpless.

Inoue dared to glance back over her shoulder, Grimmjow sat just a few feet away watching her. His eyes stared back at her without emotion and his body was perfectly still, he betrayed nothing of his thoughts. She broke their eye contact; she couldn't stand under such an intense gaze.

Inoue lifted a hand to touch her throat where it was still livid with the red marks of Grimmjow's fingers. She had stood up to him when she had finally realised what this was all about. "Heal him."

"I…I don't want to." His hand had shot out with such speed, she hadn't even realised Grimmjow had moved until his ridiculously powerful grip had closed in around her throat. The thought had intruded upon her then that he seemed to have a thing for her neck, even when they were together he would reach out to touch her throat, wrapping his long fingers around until they curled in at the top of her spine. What a useless thought to have come to her now.

"I didn't ask for your god-damned opinion, fix him!" A part of Inoue wanted to just nod and do what he asked of her, but Grimmjow didn't posses the whole of her heart. Ichigo still dwelled in it and her love for him couldn't ever cede to such a thing. "You're going to hurt Kurosaki- kun again if I heal him, won't you…then I definitely don't want to!"

Grimmjow's eyes had gone wide and his body slack to her words. For a moment she had thought he was going to let her go but then his grip had tightened more fiercely and anger alighted in his eyes. "You..!" She had thought he was about to crush the life out of her then but an unsteady hand had reached up and gripped the arm that threatened her. She had watched as the grazed and bloody fingers sunk into Grimmjow's arm with a force she had thought beyond him in his state, but Ichigo's determination had proved otherwise.

"Let go of her." Those words still sent shivers up her spine. Grimmjow's fingers had slid away from her throat but even now she felt the presence of his touch upon her skin. Everything was going so horribly wrong; this scene had unfolded without her guidance and driven her feet down a path she had not wanted to tread. They had both pushed this upon her; even Kurosaki had forced her into this living nightmare. _"Please heal me; my wounds….I want us to fight on equal grounds."_ How could she have denied them? They were determined to annihilate each other and if either of them succeeded she knew it would destroy her.

So here she stood, waiting as the two of them made ready to battle right before her. Inoue watched as Ichigo knelt to reassure his small companion. "Don't give me that look Nell, you either Inoue." He straightened up and turned back to her with all the confidence he had screaming out in his stance. "Don't worry I will definitely win."

And then Kurosaki had gone and the warrior stood in his place. This other Ichigo had unsheathed his sword without fear and stepped forward directly into the arc of Grimmjow's swinging blade. The two swords met and the announcement of their battle rang out as a crisp metallic ringing that shook through Inoue's bones. The battle had begun.

--

Ichigo's body was on fire, his whole being thrummed with the adrenalin of the moment. The glimpse of Grimmjow's maniacal grin as their swords cut through the air to clash again and again told him that he was not the only feeling this exhilaration from battle. The metal of their blades bit into each other and grated as they moved back to strike again. It was like a dance; they skirted out and moved around until they felt the moment right and launched forward to attack again. But there were no rules and courtesies in their interaction, legs and arms struck out at every opportunity as fists collided with flesh and feet grazed against limbs. But they were only minor distractions the real play was within the movements of their swords.

As their blades came to together once more Ichigo looked into Grimmjow's teal eyes that regarded him with such hate. He was surprised when the Espada spoke. "Let me ask you Kurosaki, why did you come to this world?"

For a moment Ichigo was dumb with shock. What kind of question was that? "Isn't it obvious? To save Inoue." Grimmjow actually lifted back his head to laugh down at him. Ichigo felt his resolve slipping; this guy was really pissing him off.

"Then why didn't you grab her and run the second you saw her eh, if that _is_ truly why you came. Did you even relax when you saw her unhurt? Moreover seeing me unhurt…" Rage ran through Ichigo's blood at his words, even though he could not quite grasp what it was the Espada was hinting at. "You…what the hell did you do to Inoue?!"

Grimmjow just ran his tongue over the top of his teeth at Ichigo's demand. "I like that face Kurosaki!" Grimmjow thrust Ichigo back as the shinigami's face went red with anger. For a moment Kurosaki was distracted by those cryptic words. Inoue had looked alright, but was she really? Was she hiding something from him?

But his adversary was not allowing him time to contemplate such things as he struck out him, Ichigo barely having control enough to parry away the advances. The confusion and anger were working against him and Grimmjow found the opening to strike. The Espada's fist shot out to catch Ichigo on the chin before he brought the hilt of his sword down on the back of Ichigo's stunned head. The shinigami plummeted to the ground, the bare rock face fissuring out from the impact. Ichigo tried to sit up but the world was still reeling from the blow as a voice cried out near him. "Don't die Ichigo!"

Ichigo lifted his head in time to see the Espada bearing down on him from above. His body was still partially stunned, he wasn't sure he would have the agility to get out of the way from this attack.

But something incredible happened, as Inoue's words rang out over them both Grimmjow hesitated. It was only for an instant but his blade wavered above him instead of coming down with a swift assuredness. And in that hesitation Ichigo struck back. The edge of his blade snaked out to tear deep into the flesh of Grimmjow's chest. The Espada's eyes went wide with shock, whatever had rattled him enough to make him hesitate before obviously hadn't passed.

As Ichigo violently pulled his blade free and Grimmjow stumbled back to grip his bloody wound, he had expected to hear a cheer from behind him at his counter but instead grief reached his ears.

"NO!" Ichigo turned in shock to see Inoue clutch her sides in anguish. Her eyes were not meeting his but staring straight at the injured Espada. Grimmjow seemed to gather his wits at last as he snarled at Ichigo. His hand fell away from his chest and he sheathed his sword. What the hell was going on?

Anger was contorting Grimmjow's face and making the veins stand out alarmingly on his neck. Ichigo waited for him to strike but instead the Arrancar fled.

He stood in disbelief as he watched _Grimmjow_ running away from their battle…the Espada had had the upper hand and that wound Ichigo had dealt him couldn't have had injured him that badly. What was he running from…or who?

Ichigo caught at Inoue's hand as she tried to dash past him in the wake of the fleeing Arrancar's footsteps. "Inoue what the hell are you doing?" He pulled her back towards him and started as he saw tears in her eyes. "Inoue…"

"Please Kurosaki-kun you have to let me go to him; you have to let me…" Ichigo stood in disbelief as Inoue actually pulled against his hold, turning desperately to look into the distance. Then suddenly it came to him. She was upset over Grimmjow.

The implications of this knowledge left him breathless; the insinuations Grimmjow had thrown about that had made no sense to him before, the hesitation… "This can't be." He looked at Inoue to try to find the denial to his thoughts but she only looked away from his confused gaze with shame. "I'm so sorry Ichigo."

Ichigo gripped Inoue by the arms and shook her, "Are you mad Inoue how could you like that…that…monster! What did he do to you, did he…"

"No Kurosaki-kun it's not like that! I know you can't understand it, I hardly do myself but…I have to go to him."

Ichigo let go of her arms as if burned. Of all the troubles he had thought to encounter on this mission this had never been one of them. He lifted a shaking hand to rub at his eyes that were hot with confusion. This couldn't be happening. "Inoue…this cannot be, I came here to take you home."

Ichigo could hear how Inoue's voice shook with tears. "I know Ichigo…but…I…I didn't plan to come to fall in love with him." As soon as the words had left her mouth something inside of Ichigo broke. "How could you have possibly done this?! Do you know what he is? What he and his kind are trying to do? What do you expect to happen now? Are you going to go join them and fight against us? Or do you plan to take him back with you like a souvenir? Is he going to live with you in that little apartment of yours and get a job and marry you and live domestically ever after? He is a hollow!"

"I know! I know!" All of Ichigo's anger fled out of him as Inoue broke down and wept at his feet. Her whole body shook as she howled with utter despair. This was his Orihime, the strange girl he had come to cherish dearly. He had no right to yell at her for something she had not chosen, after all hadn't the same thing slowly happened to him? He lifted her to her feet gently and pulled the hopeless girl into his arms. His shirt grew wet with her tears for the second time that day.

"Inoue do….do you remember that time…it was a while ago at school when you came up to me and told me that…that you liked me?" He felt a small nod of affirmation. "I told you then that I liked you as a friend and feigned ignorance….the truth is I was afraid. I didn't understand what I felt, and in many ways I still don't. But you were sure enough to try to reach out and understand it better…have those feelings just disappeared?" Ichigo's throat was tight as he waited.

Eventually Orihime's shoulders stopped shaking so violently and she stepped back from his chest. "Love just doesn't disappear Kurosaki…but my heart is big enough to hold love for so many people. When I was so alone and in despair I thought about you a lot. But thoughts of you were almost torturous because I thought you would never understand the way I felt and Grimmjow…we didn't speak of anything, but our hearts could hear each others emptiness. I know it's impossible to keep what we had forever; things won't be the same again. He can't come with me and I know to stay…I couldn't survive like that."

Ichigo reached out to take Inoue's small, pale hand in his. This rescue had been no where near as chivalrous as he had imagined it would be. But he still wanted the same ending. He still wanted to _save_ Inoue. "I said it would be alright Inoue and I still mean it, I want to believe it. If…if you come with me now I will do what I can to keep that promise. You won't be lonely again; I won't let you cry alone." As his words fell into the silence between them he held fast to that small shaking hand and prayed that he was not too late to save the princess.

--

**Sorry about the long wait and the rushed update, (though I think the chapter turned out alright despite its hurried making) I will be offering an alternate ending after the next chapter because it took me so long to decide on the right ending. I had two endings in mind but I have decided now. so after the final chapter will be added that little installment of what else I had in mind...the original ending I had created**. **Enough blabbering though, I sound delirous. Regards**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- A Hollow Heart

How could he have been so stupid? He had had him! He had had that bastard shinigami where he had always wanted him, right beneath the edge of his blade. He had been so close to tasting blood on his sword but he had ruined everything.

The whole situation had been gravitating towards this end, right from the very beginning, yet he had been too foolish to stop it. That _woman_ had ruined everything! It had all been too easy before, he had only had to look out for himself and that was what he had done. He had done that so well in fact that he had managed to acquire quite a bit of power and more, he had inspired a reputation. He was Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, merciless mercenary, Espada Sexta, he had been feared.

But he had just jeopardised all of that, everything he had fought so hard to achieve, every life he had taken to preserve his own had just been challenged. Why had he hesitated? It had not been a conscious act, if he were given the same opportunity right now to carve up that bastard shinigami he wouldn't even have to think, he would just do. It was his nature, so what had made him go against his instincts?

_That woman._ It came to Grimmjow then that he had defied his nature before this, when he had confronted Inoue in her cell he had gone there to kill her for that was his way. Those that opposed you threatened your position, and she had most definitely opposed him. But he hadn't crushed her; he had consorted with her and not in one moment of lost sanity but repeatedly. Was he not Espada? How could his ambitions have changed so much?

Grimmjow's harried footsteps faltered and eventually he was still, but within him his soul twisted in turmoil. Words came back to him from an argument that had begun turning the wheels of change and he heard that defiant voice ringing in his ears once more; _the light of goodness has penetrated your heart of darkness. _It was true; she had gotten inside of him and with those damning words she had a-lighted something within him that had always been kept in the darkness.

In his maddened state Grimmjow didn't even notice the presence that stalked his movements until a small hand reached out to touch the skin of his arm. He recoiled from that touch as if it burnt and whirled around, snarling, to face her. **"Don't touch me."**

The menace of an Arrancar deepened his words and froze Inoue in her movements. "Get away from me!" Grimmjow waved her away violently with his hand and turned his back, but that damnable voice persisted to call him. "Please Grimmjow, let me heal you."

"I don't need you!"

Blood began thrumming in his ears as his rage erupted. He was Espada, he should fear nothing! This world was his to plumage, he had but to reach out and take a hold of its opportunities. He still had time to prove himself, it was not too late! He could go back and cut that fucking shinigami into pieces, he would kill that bastard Ulquiorra and any other who stood in his way! Yes, yes! When he stood at the top of them all he would have it, he would fill that emptiness that licked him hollow with power and he would _know_ himself then!

But there was a warmth seeping into his cold obsession, he had to destroy it, he had to destroy whatever threatened his instincts for without them he couldn't do it. The movement was swift, he had done it a hundreds times before, he let go of his thoughts and let the animal within him take control. For a moment a feeling of primordial elation shook through him but it soon passed, and when the fit was over he opened his eyes to witness what his primitive nature had done.

He saw with a disjointed clarity that there were hands upon his sword, strong dark hands that were still steady and sure with the lingering hold of instinct. But for the span of a breath he could not comprehend that it had been those hands, those darkly assured hands of _his_, which had guided his blade into Inoue's bosom.

Horror crept through him and chased away the madness as his fingers began to twitch on the hilt. Grimmjow looked up to search Inoue's eyes for a glimpse of familiar anger but there was none. She looked out at him with those warm brown eyes as a smile twitched at her lips. He watched in disbelief as she raised a remarkably steady hand to stroke his cheek softly as tears crystallized on her lashes. "I understand now," She whispered secretively to him as blood ebbed from the wound on her chest, "I understand that there is a fine line between love and hate. But I don't hate you Grimmjow, I never could."

Grimmjow found it had to breath as her tears began to flow as freely as her blood. He pulled his blade as gently from her as he could but she still winced and groaned as the sword slid free to clatter, forgotten, to the ground.

With one arm around her thin shoulders Grimmjow supported Inoue as her legs began to weaken. He always forgot how small she was until he had her close to him. It shouldn't have been surprising then that such a small girl had managed to slip inside of him and bury herself in his darkness. Had there always been a heart inside of him to keep her there or had she created that home for herself? She hadn't filled up all of the emptiness inside of him, but he had been too stubborn to realise that she made the darkness from that hollow place recede with her light.

He couldn't really say he loved her, he didn't even think a being such as him could ever truly understand love. It was a human emotion, a sentiment that could only truly be cherished as fervently as it needed by a mortal creature as fragile and with such a delicate psyche as the one he held in his arms. But he had been human once, so long ago that his age was inconceivable to compare to anything else, should he say that he was as old as the mountains that were slowly being washed into the sea?

He had changed form time and time again, unrecognisable now compared to the form he had inhabited a hundred years ago perhaps. But he had been human once…perhaps that was why he had moved towards her so easily. He doubted he had a heart anymore, but his old mind could remember what it was a heart did, and she could have shown him how to use it once more. But in the end he was still Arrancar.

A cough rattled inside of Inoue's chest and Grimmjow saw the telltale splash of crimson wet her trembling lips. He swallowed hard, tasting blood on his own tongue. A voice from his memories spoke again, but not to menace him this time. _"Do you hate me?"_ He wandered at how complicated that question had seemed. He smiled down at Inoue then, a smile that actually reached his eyes, and spoke at last. "No…I don't hate you."

He watched closely as Inoue's taught lips spread once more to gift him with the warmth of her blissful smile before he bent his mouth to capture hers. Their blood mingled to serenade the sorrow of a final kiss. Her frame went limp in his arms as Grimmjow learnt, too late, what happens when an Espada tries to love.

--


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The rain was perpetual, it poured down endlessly to darken the surroundings into a misery gray. Ichigo watched as droplets formed on the edge of his umbrella, becoming burdened with the weight of accumulation, before they fell from the edge to splash onto his already sopping sneakers. It really was a miserable day.

He hurried down the darkening path, pulling the collar of his shirt in more tightly to try to keep out the cold wind that was tearing through his clothes. Yet at the same time he felt slightly comforted by the rain, as if the world were being washed clean again, like a fresh page being smoothed down before the pen begins to tattoo its mark upon the surface. The idea of things being refreshed was so appealing and it seemed to apply so readily to his life.

It had been two years since the events at Hueco Mondo and the war with Aizen, and though it didn't sound like an overly long period of time, to Ichigo it felt like a different life. Things had settled back so easily into their regular patterns that sometimes it felt like his mission with Rukia, Renji, Chad and Uryuu had all been a dream. But he only had to look into Orihime's eyes to know that it had been all too real. He only had to see the lining of grief that kept her shoulders stiff and her smile slightly crooked to remember what those events had cost them.

Irony struck Ichigo as he rounded the next bend on the esplanade and walked into a still frame of his thoughts. Had thinking about Inoue summoned her to him? Ichigo laughed mirthlessly under his breath. Perhaps it was just that nuisance of a thing called fate acting on his behalf again. But he wasn't ungrateful as he turned and began walking towards the red head, just frightened by the reminder that so much was out of his control.

Orihime obviously hadn't seen him coming for she stood looking up at the tree before her resolutely, oblivious that there was anything else around her. Ichigo noted that she was soaked through from the rain and as he wandered why he noticed the bright splash of yellow within the tree. He smiled at the snagged umbrella, the daisy pattern made it obvious whom it belonged to.

He had expected her to notice his steady approach but even when Ichigo was only a few feet away Orihime remained perfectly still. He noticed with a pang of regret that her eyes weren't _really_ looking at her caught umbrella, he knew that they were seeing a place he could never hope to see. Her eyes were straying from this world, as he had often caught them doing since Hueco Mondo, peering into a time and place with her mind that her body simply couldn't follow. Ichigo also knew that the wetness on her cheeks was not entirely at fault from the rain either.

He found these moments so hard, he would more gladly have faced off with a wayward hollow than have to witness that pillar of grief that Inoue carried around break through her coping charade. It broke his heart every time he had to acknowledge that though he had fought so hard to bring her back a part of her heart was still trapped in that lifeless place, still caught in the gaze of a pair of teal eyes.

As if called, Inoue's head suddenly jolted back and her eyes began to focus again. She turned to face Ichigo with a surprised look as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Oh…Kurosaki-kun, you startled me."

Ichigo smiled away the pain from his eyes. "Sorry Inoue, but I thought that you might have needed some help with the escapee." Orihime's gaze followed his hand as he motioned towards the umbrella. For a moment she looked at the caught object with confusion and without comprehension.

"Oh of course! I was walking along when the wind snatched my umbrella right out of my hands, the tree caught it but it's up too high for me to reach." Orihime told him with a lot of exaggerated hand movements.

Ichigo handed her his own umbrella wordlessly before he sprung up from the ground, his long limbs allowing him to reach the lowest branch with ease. He plucked the wilful umbrella from the foliage and dropped down swiftly, the rain droplets barely having time to fall from the leaves before he had handed back Inoue's umbrella.

But as the protective canopy of the umbrella left him Ichigo was rewarded with a shower of dislodged rain drops. He grimaced as the water slid from the crown of his head to trickle down the back of his shirt. He stood there awkwardly, feeling like a drowned cat, when suddenly Inoue burst out laughing.

Ichigo's mouth dropped in shock as the umbrella's fell from Orihime's hands so that she could clutch at her sides as her body shook with laughter.

"ha-ha-ha I am so sorry Kurosaki but…ha-ha you looked so funny just now!" Ichigo's shock turned to relief as he watched the small girl laugh whole heartedly; it had been a sight he had longed to see for so long.

Inoue's giggles were cut off by a sneeze and as she sniffled loudly they both remembered their circumstances. "I suppose we had better get out of this rain before we both catch our deaths." Ichigo said, bending hesitantly to retrieve his dropped umbrella. There was a moment of unease as Inoue moved to do the same and Ichigo was not entirely sure what to say next.

"Um…if you don't mind Kurosaki-kun, my home is only just two blocks over if you wanted to get dry there before you went home. After all, your place is a lot further than mine and it's a long way to walk when you're wet."

"Ah, really Inoue? You wouldn't mind?"

"O-of course not!"

Ichigo walked into step beside Orihime, still surprised by the invitation. He hadn't been to her place since they had returned her there two years ago. And when they arrived it was exactly how he remembered it. He wasn't sure why that shocked him, Inoue wasn't a messy person. The furniture of her apartment was neatly arranged and the familiarity comforted him.

They began stripping off the outer layers of their clothes, discarding wet scarves and jackets to hang unceremoniously from the front railing outside the door. As Ichigo turned back to Inoue, who was busying herself with boiling water in the kitchen, he took stock of her thinner frame. She had lost a bit of wait around legs and arms and even her chest, probably from the shock she had experienced from returning and also the recovery. She had returned in pretty bad shape, it angered Ichigo just remembering the way she had been.

He had wanted to kill Grimmjow, not just because of their foolish rivalry, but because he had let Inoue follow after the Espada trusting that she would be alright, yet she had returned bloody and wounded in the arms of that filth. If she hadn't been in his arms, Ichigo would have cut down Grimmjow within a heart beat and torn him to pieces. But instead the hollow had walked right up to him and held her out without even a hesitation. He had taken Inoue's battered body, snarling at the bastard the whole time.

He had spoken then, but had never looked Ichigo in the eye. The Espada had kept his gaze trained on Inoue's face the entire time, seemingly impassive.

"You had better hurry Shinigami, the wound is not fatal but she is in very real danger of bleeding to death."

"You bastard! You dare to tell me that after giving her this wound? I should kill you right now." Emotion had finally sparked in Grimmjow's eyes and he had turned towards Ichigo threateningly, "You fucking fool! What do you think you came here for huh? You gonna just let her die while you try to settle this? The animosity between us is worth that much to you is it?"

Ichigo had just glared at Grimmjow, caught between pride and emotion. He had clutched Inoue closer to him in answer and a mirthless smile had cracked across Grimmjow's lips.

With simply a movement of his hand the fabric of the Hueco Mondo had been torn, seemingly with thin air, and a gateway was created from this nightmare. He had turned towards the portal but paused, and for reasons that he still did not understand he had turned back to look at Grimmjow and ask, "What do I tell her when she wakes up?"

The next part Ichigo had seen in his dreams many times and knew with certainty that he would never forget it. The Espada had stepped forward and reached out a bloody hand to entwine it amongst the tangled tresses of Inoue's red hair. As he pulled his hand away again, a few bright strands remained twirled around his fingers and he closed his fist to trap them in the safety of his palm. "Tell her; 'If it takes courage to watch someone suffer and die when you have the power to save them then it would be better to be a coward.' And…I am what I am I guess."

When he had told Inoue what Grimmjow had said she had cried, not just a few quiet tears, she had howled and screamed and thrashed until her throat had been too hoarse to do more than sob. He had sat by her the entire time just listening to her cry her heart out. When she had finally calmed down a bit she had looked up at him and smiled, but the mirth had not reached her eyes. She had whispered sadly too him, "I guess we are what we are; a couple of cowards and fools." Ichigo knew that the 'we' Inoue had spoken of was not inclusive of him.

He had tried to accept that something significant had happened between Grimmjow and Inoue, though he could never bring himself to call it 'love'. He had let Inoue be to grieve over whatever it had been she had lost and simply waited, hoping that with time her hurts would heal enough for her to open up to him again.

Ichigo thought of all these things as he stared at the scare that was partially expose from the open collar of Inoue's wet shirt. After she had recovered a bit from the injury he had implored her to use the strength she had gained to 'reject' the wound but she had refused. She had healed slowly without any extra help and had let the scar that Grimmjow had left upon her stay.

"That frown on your face tells me you are thinking about this." Ichigo startled out of his reverie as Inoue spoke, motioning to the rippled scar tissue on her chest. Ichigo knew it was useless to try to deny his thoughts so instead he simply stayed quiet.

To his surprise Inoue began to unbutton the top of her blouse more to expose the pinched flesh. "I know you would prefer it if I rejected the scar completely, but sometimes I am so sure that my time at Hueco Mondo was just a dream I…it is better to have this as a remembrance." She whispered, stroking the scar. "Despite everything I don't want to forget. Those times…they made me who I am today."

"But you are so much sadder than you were before." Ichigo nearly bit off his tongue as the words escaped him. But Inoue just smiled.

"I know sometimes it might seem that way but…really I think I am better than before. I went through life so carefree; my mind was so narrowed by my resolute belief in right and wrong. I understand things so much better now, life is not perfect and things don't come in black and white. Not everything is as beautiful and righteous as I had believed them to be, not even love."

Ichigo went stiff to her words as his mouth began to move unconsciously. "So you don't believe in love anymore?" He looked away from her, afraid of what Inoue might see in his eyes. But soft hands pulled his face towards a pair of gray eyes. "Kurosaki-kun, I never doubted love. I just know that it's not as simple as before, but my heat hasn't gotten any smaller. Sometimes it's so big that all the love I do feel for everyone aches in my chest so strongly and sometimes…" Inoue's words were choked off as a sob rattled within her chest. Ichigo watched as tears pricked the corner of her eyes and he held his breath. "Sometimes I ache because the love I feel it…it needs to be heard by someone but I find myself alone and I…I want so desperately for you to hear it!"

Ichigo couldn't draw breathe. He thought about how still she had been in the park earlier and how her eyes had gone vacant with that lonely look…it couldn't be that…"But you love Grimmjow."

Inoue's tears spilled out over her cheeks at his words but she still smiled, "Yes I did love Grimmjow, and a part of me always will. But that was only one shade of my love. I will remember him always because he was a part of my past but…but he is not my future, Kurosaki-kun…"

The rest of Inoue's words were muffled as Ichigo pulled her into his arms. He pressed his cheek against the crown of her head and squeezed his eyes shut. Her hair was ruffled by his harsh breathing as he inhaled the scent of her. That familiar smell rode through his senses as he marvelled in the warmth of her. He didn't ever want to let her go again.

He smiled as her body was jolted from a sneeze and he reluctantly pulled himself away from her. He kissed her brow as she blushed apologetically. "I-I suppose we still need to get out of these wet clothes."

"Yes, yes we really do."

--

Inoue had been right; it was very different with Kurosaki. He was gentle and quiet. He didn't grab after her with a mad passion, he took his time as if to savour every moment of it. His kisses were soft and whispered across her skin like a silken caress and when she let out a whimper at the first moment he spoke softly into her ear and waited for her. He was completely different, yet no less enjoyable.

When they were finished they lay together immersed in the soft sheets and Inoue took note of how there skin was joined at every interval to curve together in touch. She marvelled at how different two acts of love could be. Was it the same with everybody? Did they love differently?

She smiled at the thought. She liked the idea that the way Kurosaki and her loved each was different from others, it made their love all the more special because it was a different shade of gray.

--

**I can't believe it's finished! But that was the epilogue to the end of the story, The previous chapter was supposed to be the 'final' in which Inoue actually dies but in the end I couldn't do it, I just love happy endings too much (even if Grimmjow and Inoue could never be)**

**Thanks to all who read and comment, you make writing out my fantasies so much more enjoyable. Regards (for the last time) Eia**


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